Masa este gata pentru prânz.

The table is ready for lunch.

Breakdown of Masa este gata pentru prânz.

• pentru: for
• a fi: to be
• prânzul: the lunch
• gata: ready

Questions & Answers about Masa este gata pentru prânz.

Why does masa end with -a, and what does that suffix do?

In Romanian, the definite article is attached to the end of a noun. For feminine singular nouns like masă (“a table”/“a meal”), adding -a gives masa, meaning “the table” (or by extension “the meal”).

Why is the adjective gata used here, and how does it agree with masa?

Gata means “ready” and functions as an adjective. In Romanian, adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Masa is feminine singular, so you use the feminine singular form gata. If it were masculine singular, you’d see găt (though that form is rare in everyday speech).

Could I use the past participle gătită (from a găti, “to cook”) instead of gata?

Gătită is the past participle of a găti and means “cooked/prepared.” Saying masa este gătită would literally mean “the table is cooked,” which doesn’t make sense. To say “the meal is cooked,” you’d use mâncarea este gătită (since mâncarea = “the food”). To express that the meal is ready, gata is the natural choice.

What does pentru mean, and can I use la instead as in la prânz?